Chapter 1: The Coming of a New Nation
*single word or phrase* ==italics
*Sentance* == thought of character
"What the--"
"Who the hell are these two?"
"--Jeez! She bleeding to death!" The third voice clamped a strong hand over her shoulder.
A fourth voice called out a little in the distance. "The guy's out cold. I don't see any wounds, but..."
"But what, Don?" The first voice pressed.
....
"He's burning up."
She could hear a sigh near her head. The distinct sound of someone not thrilled with making the next decision. "Okay, let's take them back. We'd better tournequet that gash. Looks like something hit an artery."
She felt herself rising....was she being carried? To where? And her companion, where was he? If only she could draw herself to the surface to speak!
"Ut--this guy weighs a ton of bricks!"
She could feel herself smile inwardly. Yep, he was here. Still. Now, if she could only figure out *where* she was. If she could just bring herself back to the surface, to rise above this haze that over took her body. The only thing she could remember was a warning about reality threads crossing.
Reality...she knew better than to mess with timelines, what had she been doing?
What were they doing, for that matter?
And...who were *they*?
**********************************
She awakened fully sometime later. Her brain was all fuzzy and floating on a dark cloud from blood loss, but nothing that she had not handled before. It took a while for her to feel comfortable enough to open her eyes. Even when she did so, there still wasn't much left to see; the lights were out. Seemed as if no one was awake. Did they have guards watching her?
She didn't awaken with her hair in her face, and her wounds had been dressed. She was on the couch. Wait...there *was* a couch?! The ceiling, though, was interlaced with strained glass windowing. *Am I in a church?* Very little air circulation. Was she...was she underground, perhaps?
Slowly, she started to sit up, careful to keep weight on the squeaky parts of the couch. The slow movements also helped her to figure out just how weak she really was. If she could move, she could fight, if need be. Good enough for her. Not another living soul near her. Not even her companion was visible. She silently turned her head, wondering if she were alone or not. The young woman felt that her hair was free instead of braided. Great, she'll leave blond hairs all over the place. Where was her sword? They must have taken it; her captors. Or her saviors...she wouldn't know who they were until she met up with them.
Okay, time to find him, and get the hell out of there. The gaps in her memory as to why they were here, and how they in fact got there, would reveal themselves in time. Until then, she would have to play this one by ear.
Her form was slight in the shaddows, so slight that it seemed as if she were a mere shaddow herself. Her movements were silent as she moved to quickly explore her surroundings. No one would notice her exploration of this underground facility. It seemed almost like an abandoned subway system. She frowned at that thought. There were no such things in K-Town.
Nope, wouldn't have been noticed at all, that is, if everyone had been asleep. But one was still awake, watching her every move from his near invisible hiding spot. Nothing moved but his eyes. He was impressed, to say the least. Not only was this chick hot, but she moved just like a ninja. His eyes narrowed at that thought. If he hadn't kept an eye on her from the moment she woke up, he would have never known she was moving about on her own.
*Heh, Fearless Leader wanted her questioned as soon as she was awake,* he thought to himself. *Well, let's just see what she's going to do if she thinks she's not being watched.*
The woman looked at each of the subway cars, but did not move to enter any of them. They would definitely make noise, and she was currently weaponless, according to her benefactors/captors. But he must be in one of those cars.
She ignored the voices that kept questioning her; those voices that would banter her constantly if she gave into them that she actually did hear them. Not to say that she was insane--*Heh, Psy would just about die-die laughing over that one!* but it was not usual for commom-folk to hear the dead. Like she was considered common-folk to begin with. There weren't many voices, or *Locals* as she would always call them, perhaps a handful who had perished building this section of the subway, and another handful of unlucky passengers. They finally got her attention with a statement.
--The dragon's watching you.--
She swerved, her flinty grey eyes meeting with her observer's. "Dragon?" But it wasn't her lover's warm hazel gaze. Immediately, she became wary again as voices fluttered excitedly around her. "He's not my Dragon."
"I ain't no body's dragon, toots," grated the Brooklyn accent. "How'd you know I was here?" *And what part did I leave not hiding?!*
"How'd you know I'd be up?" she countered softly, her voice holding a slight, forgien accent that he couldn't fathom to place. She moved slowly to the side. She had to admit, he hid himself well in the shaddows. All she could see were those icy cool eyes. "I had a companion with me."
"Yeah, the guy's still out cold. Donni has him in the infirmary; hotter than a baked potato."
Almost immediately, she picked up the direction of the informary and turned towards it. "Out cold?"
"Why don't you let me ask the questions, eh? You're on our turf, now. We saved you."
Her mind was elsewhere, though. She hardly paid attention to him. "Saved us from what?"
"You know b than me."
She took a step in the direction of the infirmary. "My Dragon needs me." She felt a restraining hand on her arm--purposely her right injured arm. She yanked him out of the shaddows so forcefully that she nearly blacked out from the sharp pain, but she also knocked him off his balance. Now, she had a good look at him. "So. You are a turtle."
Her lack of shock suprised him the most. He covered his anger for being caught off guard and his suprise with a snide remark. "You expectin' a hedgehog, or somethin'?"
*single word or phrase* ==italics
*Sentance* == thought of character
"What the--"
"Who the hell are these two?"
"--Jeez! She bleeding to death!" The third voice clamped a strong hand over her shoulder.
A fourth voice called out a little in the distance. "The guy's out cold. I don't see any wounds, but..."
"But what, Don?" The first voice pressed.
....
"He's burning up."
She could hear a sigh near her head. The distinct sound of someone not thrilled with making the next decision. "Okay, let's take them back. We'd better tournequet that gash. Looks like something hit an artery."
She felt herself rising....was she being carried? To where? And her companion, where was he? If only she could draw herself to the surface to speak!
"Ut--this guy weighs a ton of bricks!"
She could feel herself smile inwardly. Yep, he was here. Still. Now, if she could only figure out *where* she was. If she could just bring herself back to the surface, to rise above this haze that over took her body. The only thing she could remember was a warning about reality threads crossing.
Reality...she knew better than to mess with timelines, what had she been doing?
What were they doing, for that matter?
And...who were *they*?
**********************************
She awakened fully sometime later. Her brain was all fuzzy and floating on a dark cloud from blood loss, but nothing that she had not handled before. It took a while for her to feel comfortable enough to open her eyes. Even when she did so, there still wasn't much left to see; the lights were out. Seemed as if no one was awake. Did they have guards watching her?
She didn't awaken with her hair in her face, and her wounds had been dressed. She was on the couch. Wait...there *was* a couch?! The ceiling, though, was interlaced with strained glass windowing. *Am I in a church?* Very little air circulation. Was she...was she underground, perhaps?
Slowly, she started to sit up, careful to keep weight on the squeaky parts of the couch. The slow movements also helped her to figure out just how weak she really was. If she could move, she could fight, if need be. Good enough for her. Not another living soul near her. Not even her companion was visible. She silently turned her head, wondering if she were alone or not. The young woman felt that her hair was free instead of braided. Great, she'll leave blond hairs all over the place. Where was her sword? They must have taken it; her captors. Or her saviors...she wouldn't know who they were until she met up with them.
Okay, time to find him, and get the hell out of there. The gaps in her memory as to why they were here, and how they in fact got there, would reveal themselves in time. Until then, she would have to play this one by ear.
Her form was slight in the shaddows, so slight that it seemed as if she were a mere shaddow herself. Her movements were silent as she moved to quickly explore her surroundings. No one would notice her exploration of this underground facility. It seemed almost like an abandoned subway system. She frowned at that thought. There were no such things in K-Town.
Nope, wouldn't have been noticed at all, that is, if everyone had been asleep. But one was still awake, watching her every move from his near invisible hiding spot. Nothing moved but his eyes. He was impressed, to say the least. Not only was this chick hot, but she moved just like a ninja. His eyes narrowed at that thought. If he hadn't kept an eye on her from the moment she woke up, he would have never known she was moving about on her own.
*Heh, Fearless Leader wanted her questioned as soon as she was awake,* he thought to himself. *Well, let's just see what she's going to do if she thinks she's not being watched.*
The woman looked at each of the subway cars, but did not move to enter any of them. They would definitely make noise, and she was currently weaponless, according to her benefactors/captors. But he must be in one of those cars.
She ignored the voices that kept questioning her; those voices that would banter her constantly if she gave into them that she actually did hear them. Not to say that she was insane--*Heh, Psy would just about die-die laughing over that one!* but it was not usual for commom-folk to hear the dead. Like she was considered common-folk to begin with. There weren't many voices, or *Locals* as she would always call them, perhaps a handful who had perished building this section of the subway, and another handful of unlucky passengers. They finally got her attention with a statement.
--The dragon's watching you.--
She swerved, her flinty grey eyes meeting with her observer's. "Dragon?" But it wasn't her lover's warm hazel gaze. Immediately, she became wary again as voices fluttered excitedly around her. "He's not my Dragon."
"I ain't no body's dragon, toots," grated the Brooklyn accent. "How'd you know I was here?" *And what part did I leave not hiding?!*
"How'd you know I'd be up?" she countered softly, her voice holding a slight, forgien accent that he couldn't fathom to place. She moved slowly to the side. She had to admit, he hid himself well in the shaddows. All she could see were those icy cool eyes. "I had a companion with me."
"Yeah, the guy's still out cold. Donni has him in the infirmary; hotter than a baked potato."
Almost immediately, she picked up the direction of the informary and turned towards it. "Out cold?"
"Why don't you let me ask the questions, eh? You're on our turf, now. We saved you."
Her mind was elsewhere, though. She hardly paid attention to him. "Saved us from what?"
"You know b than me."
She took a step in the direction of the infirmary. "My Dragon needs me." She felt a restraining hand on her arm--purposely her right injured arm. She yanked him out of the shaddows so forcefully that she nearly blacked out from the sharp pain, but she also knocked him off his balance. Now, she had a good look at him. "So. You are a turtle."
Her lack of shock suprised him the most. He covered his anger for being caught off guard and his suprise with a snide remark. "You expectin' a hedgehog, or somethin'?"